Vocational Technical School № 8 Pripyat

The City Vocational Technical School № 8 was a vital training ground for the young workers of Pripyat. It prepared students for tough, technical jobs at the power plant and in the local construction industry. Keep reading to see how this school helped build the city from the ground up before the disaster changed its purpose.

This school was not like a normal high school. It focused on teaching teenagers specific skills for the workplace. Most students started their training at age 16 after finishing their basic education. Depending on their chosen career, they could study here for up to five years. Since many students came from nearby villages, they lived in a large dormitory right next to the school building.

Building the City
The school played a huge role in the growth of the region. It produced the skilled labor needed to expand the city and the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Station. Students trained to become professional welders, electricians, bricklayers, and plasterers. These young men and women were the ones who literally built the apartment blocks and reactor walls. During the 1970s and 80s, these types of schools were very popular across the Soviet Union, training millions of students every year.

A Change of Mission
After the city was evacuated in 1986, the school was no longer a place for students. Instead, it became a base for liquidators. These were the people hired to clean up the radioactive waste. Because of this, the building looks different from the other schools in Pripyat. Instead of just notebooks and toys, you will find items left behind by the cleanup crews.

Reminders of the Cleanup
Today, the floors are covered with interesting artifacts from the months following the accident. You can find scattered parts of dosimetry equipment, which was used to measure radiation levels. There is also plenty of technical literature and manuals left behind by the specialists. These items show how the building shifted from a place of education to a workplace for a dangerous rescue mission.

The halls of School № 8 remain a tribute to the workers who built the city and those who tried to save it.